Crime and Punishment

Doctor Zosimov declares that Raskolnikov has improved, but still seems distracted, pale, and gloomy. The doctor suggests removing from Raskolnikov’s life whatever caused the sudden psychological distress. Pulkheria Alexandrovna recalls her fear arriving in Saint Petersburg with Dunia alone because Luzhin did not meet them and Raskolnikov was too sick to do so. She asks her son if he knows how it feels to be alone. Raskolnikov remembers a similar question put to him by Marmeladov and confesses to his mother that he gave all his money to that grieving family. Raskolnikov acknowledges that this may have been wrong, but insists that he had no other choice.

Raskolnikov becomes increasingly impatient with his mother’s presence. Throughout his separation from his family, he has become acutely aware that although he loves his mother and his sister very much, he cannot help but resent their presence. Pulkheria Alexandrovna discusses news from back home, but Raskolnikov can no longer stand to listen to his mother. He moves quickly to the door to escape, but instead, explains how he nearly married the landlord’s daughter. The story leads him to once again demand Dunia not marry Luzhin. Dunia defends herself and her fiancé. Raskolnikov listens and, suddenly and without explanation, withdraws his objections. He tells Dunia to marry whomever she pleases. Despite Luzhin’s request that he not attend the meeting later in the day, Dunia asks Raskolnikov to come and also invites Razumikhin.

Sonia arrives at Raskolnikov’s apartment and interrupts the family discussion. She is dressed more modestly than the day before and appears humble and embarrassed to see so many people. Katerina Ivanovna has sent Sonia to request Raskolnikov attend Marmeladov’s funeral. Raskolnikov invites Sonia to sit and talk about an important matter, but Sonia refuses: She is ashamed to be in the presence of respectable women, and she realizes that she is actually standing in Raskolnikov’s bedroom. She is suddenly aware that this is too intimate a place to be, and sees Raskolnikov’s poverty, understanding how little he can afford to give money to her family.

Pulkheria Alexandrovna senses romantic feelings between Raskolnikov and Sonia, connecting Sonia to the details in Luzhin’s letter. After meeting Sonia, Dunia decides that her brother is right that Luzhin is a horrible gossip. Raskolnikov wants to be alone with Sonia, but she insists that she cannot stay.

Raskolnikov and Razumikhin decide to recover the items of sentimental value that Raskolnikov pawned. As Raskolnikov teases Razumikhin for his barely-disguised affection for Dunia, both men laugh.

Raskolnikov attempts to hide his laughter as he enters the apartment of Porfiry, Aliona Ivanovna’s representative. Inside, he is surprised to find Zametov. The police clerk greets the two new arrivals and then explains that Porfiry is now the magistrate charged with investigating the murders. Raskolnikov describes a watch that belonged to his father that he left with Aliona Ivanovna and asks to reclaim it. Porfiry has been expecting Raskolnikov for some time: All of the other customers who pawned items with Aliona Ivanovna have already retrieved them. Porfiry knows about Raskolnikov’s recent sickness and his strange encounters with Zametov and Marmeladov’s family. Raskolnikov worries that Porfiry suspects him and is now just toying with him. He thinks about confessing, as the police already seem to know everything.

The men discuss how people’s environment affects the types of crimes they commit. Porfiry remembers an article Raskolnikov published on his theories about criminality two months before the murders—an article Raskolnikov has forgotten until now. Raskolnikov launches into a detailed description of his ideas. He believes that there are two types of people: the ordinary, and the extraordinary. Ordinary people do not have the right to break the law, while extraordinary people have the right to commit crime. This right comes not from the law, but from a deep personal feeling: An extraordinary person can override the law to further the accomplishment of some great idea or ambition that will benefit all of humanity. Since great men are not beholden to normal laws, anyone who feels bound by such laws must not be extraordinary. In other words, to be great, a person must break free of legal confines. Ordinary people can only reproduce their own ordinary selves, while extraordinary people have the capacity to change the world.

Porfiry wonders whether Raskolnikov considers himself an extraordinary person, perhaps due to his ability to invent this new theory of crime. Raskolnikov confesses that he does not see himself as a great man such as Napoleon. When Porfiry asks whether an extraordinary person committing a crime would suffer as a result, Raskolnikov admits that suffering and pain are practically necessary for the most intelligent and most profound men. Porfiry then returns to the issue of the pawned items. He asks if Raskolnikov remembers the apartment below the pawnbroker’s being painted when he visited. Raskolnikov suspects a trap, so he claims that he cannot remember painters specifically, but does recall a neighbor moving out. Razumikhin points out that the painters were only present on the day of the murder, several days before Raskolnikov’s last documented visit. Porfiry claims to have been mistaken and apologizes.

Raskolnikov and Razumikhin leave Porfiry’s home to meet with Pulkheria and Dunia. As they walk, Raskolnikov worries that the magistrate suspects him, though Razumikhin is infuriated that his friend might ever be under suspicion. They arrive at the dilapidated home where Pulkheria and Dunia are staying. Raskolnikov makes his excuses and leaves, returning to his own apartment to nervously search for any evidence he might not have spotted. He finds nothing. As Raskolnikov leaves his building, the porter points him out to a tradesman in strange clothes. When Raskolnikov approaches the mysterious stranger, the man accuses him of murder and swiftly departs. Raskolnikov follows him, but the chase comes to nothing. Confused, paranoid, and exhausted, he returns to his apartment.

Raskolnikov’s thoughts become even more agitated. He reflects on his theory of crime and, though he still believes it to be true, he worries that he has dirtied the theory by employing it to murder a filthy old pawnbroker. Napoleon, by contrast, was an extraordinary man who used his freedom from the law to conquer the world. Raskolnikov consoles himself with the idea that he did not murder an old woman, but an idea. Still, he worries that he is worthless and wonders whether he should confess. Raskolnikov falls asleep. He dreams of Aliona Ivanovna and the night of the murder. This time, however, the old woman does not die no matter how much he hits her. Raskolnikov wakes up from his terrible nightmare and notices his neighbor Svidrigailov in the doorway.